Arthur James Moore
Encyclopedia
Arthur James Moore was an American
Bishop
of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South
(MECS), the Methodist Church, and the United Methodist Church
, elected in 1930.
, the son of John Spencer and Emma Victoria (née
Cason) Moore. Arthur was of Irish
ancestry. His great grandfather came to North Carolina
and his grandfather moved to Georgia
. Arthur's grandfather later died in the Battle of Gaines' Mill
in 1862.
Arthur married Martha "Mattie" T. McDonald 26 April 1906. They had children William Harry, Wilbur Wardlaw, Alice Evelyn Means, Arthur James Jr., and Dorothy Emma. Mattie died in 1964.
in Oxford, Georgia
from 1909 until 1911. He did not complete an earned degree. Instead, he was converted to Christ in his twenty-first year and began to preach at once! He subsequently was awarded several honorary degrees, including the degree of D.D. from Asbury College, Wilmore, Kentucky
(1922), Central College
, Fayette, Missouri
(1924), and Emory University
(1934); and the degree of LL.D. from Southwestern University
, Georgetown, Texas
(1935), Randolph-Macon College
(1939), Florida Southern College
(1942), and Mercer University
(1968).
to Christ
in his twenty-first year and began to preach at once. He joined the South Georgia Annual Conference
in 1909. He served various churches as Pastor during 1909-20. He also served as a roving
evangelist
, and was a most eloquent
speaker.
In 1920, the Rev. Moore was appointed to the Travis Park Methodist Church in San Antonio, Texas
, serving there until 1926. He then was appointed Pastor of First Methodist Church
, Birmingham, Alabama
.
with the degree Doctor of Divinity
in 1922. Central College
did the same in 1924, as did Emory University (D.D., 1934). Asbury College also awarded the LL.D. in 1930. Southwestern University
did the same in 1935, Randolph-Macon College
in 1939, and Florida Southern College
in 1941. He also received an honorary degree from Wesleyan College
.
The Rev. Moore was a member of Phi Beta Kappa. He was a 32° Mason
and a Knights Templar.
and consecrated to the Episcopacy of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South at the 1930 General Conference of that denomination
. Bishop Moore was assigned responsibility for all missionary
activities of the MECS in China
, Japan
, Czechoslovakia
, Belgium
, Belgian Congo
, Poland
and Korea
, until 1940. In 1940 he was assigned the Atlanta Episcopal Area
of the (newly reunited) Methodist Church. His address
was 63 Auburn Ave., N.E., Atlanta.
Bishop Moore also served as President
of Wesleyan College
in Macon, Georgia
in 1941, and as Chairman of the Board
. He was a member of the Committee on Interdenominational Relations and Church Union of the MECS (1934-39), and President of the Board of Missions and Church Extension of The Methodist Church. He was also the organizer
and first President of the Board of Evangelism of The Methodist Church.
Bishop Moore died 30 June 1974.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South
Methodist Episcopal Church, South
The Methodist Episcopal Church, South, or Methodist Episcopal Church South, was the so-called "Southern Methodist Church" resulting from the split over the issue of slavery in the Methodist Episcopal Church which had been brewing over several years until it came out into the open at a conference...
(MECS), the Methodist Church, and the United Methodist Church
United Methodist Church
The United Methodist Church is a Methodist Christian denomination which is both mainline Protestant and evangelical. Founded in 1968 by the union of The Methodist Church and the Evangelical United Brethren Church, the UMC traces its roots back to the revival movement of John and Charles Wesley...
, elected in 1930.
Birth and family
Arthur was born 26 December 1888 in Waycross, GeorgiaWaycross, Georgia
Waycross is the county seat of, and only incorporated city in, Ware County in the U.S. state of Georgia. The population was 14,725 at the 2010 Census. A small portion of the city extends into Pierce County. According the U.S...
, the son of John Spencer and Emma Victoria (née
NEE
NEE is a political protest group whose goal was to provide an alternative for voters who are unhappy with all political parties at hand in Belgium, where voting is compulsory.The NEE party was founded in 2005 in Antwerp...
Cason) Moore. Arthur was of Irish
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
ancestry. His great grandfather came to North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
and his grandfather moved to Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
. Arthur's grandfather later died in the Battle of Gaines' Mill
Battle of Gaines' Mill
The Battle of Gaines's Mill, sometimes known as the First Battle of Cold Harbor or the Battle of Chickahominy River, took place on June 27, 1862, in Hanover County, Virginia, as the third of the Seven Days Battles of the American Civil War...
in 1862.
Arthur married Martha "Mattie" T. McDonald 26 April 1906. They had children William Harry, Wilbur Wardlaw, Alice Evelyn Means, Arthur James Jr., and Dorothy Emma. Mattie died in 1964.
Education and Conversion to Christ
Arthur Sr studied at Emory CollegeOxford College of Emory University
Oxford College is a two-year residential college specializing in the foundations of liberal arts education, and is one of nine divisions of Emory University. The college is located on Emory University's original 1836 campus in Oxford, Georgia, 38 miles east of the main Atlanta campus...
in Oxford, Georgia
Oxford, Georgia
Oxford is a city in Newton County, Georgia, in the United States. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 1,892. It is the location of Oxford College of Emory University. The entire town is also designated as a shrine of the United Methodist Church. Additionally, Confederate soldiers are...
from 1909 until 1911. He did not complete an earned degree. Instead, he was converted to Christ in his twenty-first year and began to preach at once! He subsequently was awarded several honorary degrees, including the degree of D.D. from Asbury College, Wilmore, Kentucky
Wilmore, Kentucky
Wilmore is a city in Jessamine County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 6,134 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Lexington–Fayette Metropolitan Statistical Area...
(1922), Central College
Central Methodist University
Central Methodist University is a private, coeducational, liberal arts university located in Fayette, Missouri. CMU is an accredited four year institution of higher education and offers masters, bachelors, and associates degrees...
, Fayette, Missouri
Fayette, Missouri
Fayette is a city in Howard County, Missouri, United States. The population was 2,793 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Howard County. It is in the Columbia, Missouri Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
(1924), and Emory University
Emory University
Emory University is a private research university in metropolitan Atlanta, located in the Druid Hills section of unincorporated DeKalb County, Georgia, United States. The university was founded as Emory College in 1836 in Oxford, Georgia by a small group of Methodists and was named in honor of...
(1934); and the degree of LL.D. from Southwestern University
Southwestern University
Southwestern University is a private, four-year, undergraduate, liberal arts college located in Georgetown, Texas, USA. Founded in 1840, Southwestern is the oldest university in Texas. The school is affiliated with the United Methodist Church although the curriculum is nonsectarian...
, Georgetown, Texas
Georgetown, Texas
Georgetown is a city and also the county seat of Williamson County, Texas, United States with a population of 47,400 at the 2010 census. Southwestern University, founded in 1840, is the oldest university in Texas and is located in Georgetown, about 1/2 mile east of the historic square...
(1935), Randolph-Macon College
Randolph-Macon College
Randolph–Macon College is a private, co-educational liberal arts college located in Ashland, Virginia, United States, near the capital city of Richmond. Founded in 1830, the school has an enrollment of over 1,200 students...
(1939), Florida Southern College
Florida Southern College
Florida Southern College is a private college located in Lakeland, Florida, United States. It was selected by U.S...
(1942), and Mercer University
Mercer University
Mercer University is an independent, private, coeducational university with a Baptist heritage located in the U.S. state of Georgia. Mercer is the only university of its size in the United States that offers programs in eleven diversified fields of study: liberal arts, business, education, music,...
(1968).
Ordained ministry
Arthur experienced a "drastic" conversionConversion to Christianity
Conversion to Christianity is the religious conversion of a previously non-Christian person to some form of Christianity. It has been called the foundational experience of Christian life...
to Christ
Christ
Christ is the English term for the Greek meaning "the anointed one". It is a translation of the Hebrew , usually transliterated into English as Messiah or Mashiach...
in his twenty-first year and began to preach at once. He joined the South Georgia Annual Conference
Annual Conference
An Annual Conference in the United Methodist Church is a regional body that governs much of the life of the "Connectional Church." Annual conferences are composed primarily of the clergy members and a lay member or members from each charge . Each conference is a geographical division...
in 1909. He served various churches as Pastor during 1909-20. He also served as a roving
Itinerant
An itinerant is a person who travels from place to place with no fixed home. The term comes from the late 16th century: from late Latin itinerant , from the verb itinerari, from Latin iter, itiner ....
evangelist
Evangelism
Evangelism refers to the practice of relaying information about a particular set of beliefs to others who do not hold those beliefs. The term is often used in reference to Christianity....
, and was a most eloquent
Eloquent
Eloquent is a free & open-source application for research and study of God and His Word. It is developed specifically for Macintosh computers running Mac OS X....
speaker.
In 1920, the Rev. Moore was appointed to the Travis Park Methodist Church in San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio, Texas
San Antonio is the seventh-largest city in the United States of America and the second-largest city within the state of Texas, with a population of 1.33 million. Located in the American Southwest and the south–central part of Texas, the city serves as the seat of Bexar County. In 2011,...
, serving there until 1926. He then was appointed Pastor of First Methodist Church
First Methodist Church
First Methodist Church or variations with Building may refer to:in the United States* First Methodist Church , listed on the National Register of Historic Places in Lafayette County, Arkansas...
, Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S...
.
Honors
The Rev. Moore was honored by Asbury CollegeAsbury College
Asbury University, formerly Asbury College, is a Christian liberal arts institution located in Wilmore, Kentucky. Although it is a nondenominational school, the college's foundation stems from a Wesleyan-Holiness tradition. The school offers 50 majors across 17 departments. Primarily a four-year...
with the degree Doctor of Divinity
Doctor of Divinity
Doctor of Divinity is an advanced academic degree in divinity. Historically, it identified one who had been licensed by a university to teach Christian theology or related religious subjects....
in 1922. Central College
Central Methodist University
Central Methodist University is a private, coeducational, liberal arts university located in Fayette, Missouri. CMU is an accredited four year institution of higher education and offers masters, bachelors, and associates degrees...
did the same in 1924, as did Emory University (D.D., 1934). Asbury College also awarded the LL.D. in 1930. Southwestern University
Southwestern University
Southwestern University is a private, four-year, undergraduate, liberal arts college located in Georgetown, Texas, USA. Founded in 1840, Southwestern is the oldest university in Texas. The school is affiliated with the United Methodist Church although the curriculum is nonsectarian...
did the same in 1935, Randolph-Macon College
Randolph-Macon College
Randolph–Macon College is a private, co-educational liberal arts college located in Ashland, Virginia, United States, near the capital city of Richmond. Founded in 1830, the school has an enrollment of over 1,200 students...
in 1939, and Florida Southern College
Florida Southern College
Florida Southern College is a private college located in Lakeland, Florida, United States. It was selected by U.S...
in 1941. He also received an honorary degree from Wesleyan College
Wesleyan College
Wesleyan College is a private, liberal arts women's college located in Macon, Georgia, United States.-History:The school was chartered on December 23, 1836 as the Georgia Female College, and opened its doors to students on January 7, 1839. The school was renamed Wesleyan Female College in 1843...
.
The Rev. Moore was a member of Phi Beta Kappa. He was a 32° Mason
Freemasonry
Freemasonry is a fraternal organisation that arose from obscure origins in the late 16th to early 17th century. Freemasonry now exists in various forms all over the world, with a membership estimated at around six million, including approximately 150,000 under the jurisdictions of the Grand Lodge...
and a Knights Templar.
Episcopal ministry
The Rev. Dr. Arthur James Moore was electedElected
Elected is the latest EP by Dutch Progressive metal project Ayreon. It was released on April 25, 2008 in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, and on April 28 in the rest of Europe...
and consecrated to the Episcopacy of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South at the 1930 General Conference of that denomination
Christian denomination
A Christian denomination is an identifiable religious body under a common name, structure, and doctrine within Christianity. In the Orthodox tradition, Churches are divided often along ethnic and linguistic lines, into separate churches and traditions. Technically, divisions between one group and...
. Bishop Moore was assigned responsibility for all missionary
Missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
activities of the MECS in China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
, Belgian Congo
Belgian Congo
The Belgian Congo was the formal title of present-day Democratic Republic of the Congo between King Leopold II's formal relinquishment of his personal control over the state to Belgium on 15 November 1908, and Congolese independence on 30 June 1960.-Congo Free State, 1884–1908:Until the latter...
, Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
and Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
, until 1940. In 1940 he was assigned the Atlanta Episcopal Area
Episcopal Area
An Episcopal Area in the United Methodist Church is a basic unit of this denomination. It is a region presided over by a resident bishop that is similar to a diocese in other Christian denominations. Each annual conference in the UMC is within a single episcopal area; some episcopal areas...
of the (newly reunited) Methodist Church. His address
Address (geography)
An address is a collection of information, presented in a mostly fixed format, used for describing the location of a building, apartment, or other structure or a plot of land, generally using political boundaries and street names as references, along with other identifiers such as house or...
was 63 Auburn Ave., N.E., Atlanta.
Bishop Moore also served as President
President
A president is a leader of an organization, company, trade union, university, or country.Etymologically, a president is one who presides, who sits in leadership...
of Wesleyan College
Wesleyan College
Wesleyan College is a private, liberal arts women's college located in Macon, Georgia, United States.-History:The school was chartered on December 23, 1836 as the Georgia Female College, and opened its doors to students on January 7, 1839. The school was renamed Wesleyan Female College in 1843...
in Macon, Georgia
Macon, Georgia
Macon is a city located in central Georgia, US. Founded at the fall line of the Ocmulgee River, it is part of the Macon metropolitan area, and the county seat of Bibb County. A small portion of the city extends into Jones County. Macon is the biggest city in central Georgia...
in 1941, and as Chairman of the Board
Chair (official)
The chairman is the highest officer of an organized group such as a board, committee, or deliberative assembly. The person holding the office is typically elected or appointed by the members of the group. The chairman presides over meetings of the assembled group and conducts its business in an...
. He was a member of the Committee on Interdenominational Relations and Church Union of the MECS (1934-39), and President of the Board of Missions and Church Extension of The Methodist Church. He was also the organizer
Organizer
Organizer could refer to:*Union organizer, a trade union official*Party organizer, a political party official*Community organizing, a way of building democratic power for the powerless*Personal organizer, a type of diary...
and first President of the Board of Evangelism of The Methodist Church.
Bishop Moore died 30 June 1974.
Selected writings
- Address: The Holy Spirit, Atlanta, Sixth Ecumenical Conference, 1931.
- The Sound of Trumpets (a collection of sermons), 1934.
- Central Certainties (a collection of sermons), 1942.
- Christ After Chaos, 1944.
- Christ and Our Country, 1945.